2. speakers
  3. 137013-115068

speaker capacitors-----leave alone or does it open pandora's box ?

opened up my speakers and noticed that they use Audyn capacitors.        while the speakers sound good, are there better capacitors out there ? and if yes, could these be changed out and if they were, what effect does it have on the sound 


wondering also could  better drivers be bought  for the speakers ?
toyo18
Post removed 
grannyring's avatar
grannyring
6,592 posts
 
Top end copper foil caps from the likes of Duelund, Jupiter and others have never done anything but improve the sound in dozens of my speaker and electronics upgrades and modifications. Same with Path Audio resistors in my projects. While it is certainly possible that these parts would harm the sound in some piece of gear, I certainly have never heard it.

So I would like to know which hyper expensive caps sound so bright? Perhaps Mundorf Silver or SGO on the wrong tweeter and electronics combo. We listen to complete systems, not just caps. Perhaps Vcap Teflons? But not good film and foils I have used from Jupiter, Duelund, Auydn and Jantzen (Alumen Z).

It is amazing the level on sonic improvement that can be realized with smart cap, inductor and resistor upgrades in speakers. Most builders use run of the mill and “cheap” crossover parts in their $20,000 speakers. They do it to save money. That simple. Yes, one must take into account the sonic goal of the upgrade, the preferences of the listener and the other system components. Match all new parts within 1% and watch Parts that will change resistance.  Smartly done crossover upgrades do wonders for reasonable cost and you can keep your speakers and system in tact without selling or buying gear.   
kalali's avatar
kalali
1,977 posts
 
Those red ones are Audyn Q4 capacitors. I replaced them in my tube preamp with the Audyn Cap Plus  - white and much larger, and the improvement was significant. True Coppers are supposed to be better for certain applications but they have a very long break-in period, especially larger values. Not tried them in speakers. I've also tried Jantzen Z-superior capacitors in a couple of speakers and one other tube preamp and I personally found them more balanced than the Audyns and take less time to even out. I was also told by a couple of (tube) preamp designers/manufacturers that if switching brands when upgrading capacitors you may need to adjust the values to get the improved sound quality. Others with more experience can chime in.  
Post removed 
erik_squires
16,558 posts
 
kosst:

You make lots of statements based on your experience that are pure opinion

Here is your first mistake: it is based on experience and experimentation. That is not pure opinion. I make speakers and experiment with capacitors. Have you?

and they’re not very resistant to scrutiny.

This is your second mistake. The OP can easily scrutinize my suggestions by spending $40 on caps and trying them out.

All I’m saying is look at the actual specs of the things and experiment instead of obsessing about price tags, ad copy claims, and the opinions of folks on a forum. Sorry that ruffles your feathers.

Third mistake, this is exactly the opposite of what you have been saying. Sorry if that ruffles your feathers. In fact you made a number of claims about what matters without discussion about personal experience. You seemed to be relying on information from others without actually trying it yourself. 

Best,

Erik
More to discover